In writing the Welcome page of our season ticket brochure, I wrote the following sentence:  In uncertain times, when starved for answers; music feeds the soul.  This sentence has continued to linger in my consciousness.

I cannot recall a time when music was not part of my life.  Who I am today, has been shaped by music and my tomorrow will be impacted by the music I ingest today.  There is a great line from Les Miserables – “when the beating of your heart echoes the beating of the drums, there is a life about to start when tomorrow comes.” 

Unfortunately, in these uncertain times, some view the arts as entertainment; a luxury – one society could live without.  After their imprisonment, Holocaust survivors shared stories of singing, painting and writing.  Not as forms of entertainment but as a means of survival.  French composer, Olivier Messiaen was captured by the Germans in 1940, transported across Germany by train and held in a concentration camp in Gorlitz, Poland.  Messiaen discovered three other musicians in the camp, a cellist, violinist and a clarinetist and a sympathetic prison guard.  The guard smuggled manuscript paper, pencils and an eraser into camp and permitted Messiaen time and a place to compose.  In January of 1941, Quartet for the End of Time had its premiere in front of the prisoners. In a concentration camp where it would seem survival is the primary focus, why did the arts continue to survive?  The arts didn’t exist in this environment because they were encouraged.  Hitler himself knew the power music held when he limited exposure to specific composers and works.  The arts continued to exist in spite of attempts to starve the body.  The arts existed because the soul needed to be nourished – to be reminded joy existed, to escape fear, to experience beauty – to feel.

Woody Geist has suffered with Alzheimer’s for nearly 14 years.  As is typical with some patients, he no longer recognizes his wife or family.  Prior to the onset of Alzheimer’s, Woody was a singing member of the Grunyons.  This Michigan based, male vocal jazz group has been entertaining audiences for over fifty years.

In the HBO Documentary – The Alzheimer’s Project, Woody’s wife arrives at his assisted living facility to get him ready to attend a concert by the Grunyons.  As his wife dresses him, he continues to ask where they are going and who they are going to see.  During the concert, Woody is introduced to the audience and his wife encourages him to go up on stage.  Woody doesn’t appear to recognize anyone amid the handshakes and back pats.  As he works his way down the line of singers, the Grunyons start a song.  In that instant, Woody begins to sing.  Every note, every harmony and every word live again.  His body remembers every gesture.  Driving home, he will not recall what he did and he will not remember his wife and daughter.

The arts are not something we can live without – they are the engravers of our soul.  If we become lost and the mind can no longer remember – the soul is God’s record of who we are, what we feel and who and what we love.

I pray the work of the BeckRidge Chorale will leave an imprint on your soul.

I don’t know about you, but I am tired of all the negative news.  The Big Three are in trouble, Circuit City is closing all their stores and the stock market is playing havoc with my 401K.  For one day, we shared the miracle of the pilot landing his plane in the Hudson River but good news always gives way to bad.

Last week, we began rehearsals for Gonna’ Lift You Up! and Love Stories.  When I selected the music for these concerts, I had no idea our world would be surrounded in negative news.  Starting rehearsals reminded me how music can impact our spirits.  Dr. Norman Vincent Peale once said:  Change your thoughts and you can change your world.  I believe if you change what you are singing or listening to; it can alter your outlook.

There have been a number of studies regarding the effects of music on the human body.  Music has been proven to lower blood pressure and pulse rates.  It helps regulate stress and strengthens our memory and learning ability.  (During our Christmas concert, I asked the audience to recite the words to White Christmas.  Every person admitted, they could not recall with the words without the melody.)  Music is said to boost the body’s immune system and even helps reduce pain levels.

Perhaps most important, as it relates to this post; Music generates a sense of well-being and safety. (In contrast, rock concerts have been proven to raise anxiety levels.)  As we work our way through this period in our history, we need to find those opportunities where we can lower our stress level and blood pressure.  If like me, you are trying to regain your sense of well-being; you need look no further than the BeckRidge Chorale and Village Voices.

On March 1^st, Village Voices will present Gonna’ Lift You Up!  The title says it all!  This concert is an uplifting affirmation of faith.  In April, the BeckRidge Chorale will focus on our most important human need when they take center stage to present Love Stories. Both concerts may be less expensive than your co-pay and are exactly what the doctor ordered!

Do you feel you are a product of your environment?  I know I do, particularly as it relates to music.  I have had some great teachers.  Each of them made an impact on me personally and in what I impart to the BeckRidge Chorale and Village Voices.

Charles S. Heard was my high school vocal music teacher.  He is an incredibly talented musician.  Not only is Charles one of the finest all-round musicians I have ever known, he is an phenomenal pianist, gifted conductor and a pretty darn good singer.  I was not blessed with all those genes but he instilled within me a passion for excellence and professionalism.

I had the opportunity to work with Fred Waring at Pennsylvania State University.  Mr. Waring was the finest interpreter of song I have ever experienced.  Fred believed that if you bought the music, you could change it any way you wanted.  He knew so many of the great composers and lyricists of the 20^th century that his insights left me awestruck.  Mr. Waring taught me, words have meaning.

Donald Neuen was the Director of Choral Music Activities at the Eastman School of Music when I had the opportunity to study with him.  Don has forgotten or put aside more than I know.  Mr. Neuen is one of the finest choral conductors in the United States.  He has a gift for sharing knowledge unlike anyone I have ever met.  He could identify a problem and correct it before I could find the measure number.  Don thinks like a singer and applies it to the art of choral singing.  He taught me how to look at making music through the eyes of my singers, not preconceived theory.

The BeckRidge Chorale and Village Voices are committed to excellence and professionalism in every thing they do.  Simply stated, nothing is left behind in rehearsal.  We bring everything we have to the stage and we will deposit it in the back row of the auditorium.  We are committed to being the most professional amateur choral ensemble you will ever hear.

When we sing about love, it sounds different than “Old MacDonald had a Farm.”  Words like hate, fear, fire, rage do not sound like love, rest, brook or forgiveness.  In addition, we provide our audience the opportunity to understand the words we sing in the hope we can touch their hearts, souls and minds.

We sing about the things of life to which we can relate.  We sing to our audience and look at music through their eyes.  Singing is one of life’s greatest gifts.  We can do it anywhere knowing it will calm our fears, lift our sights, inspire our actions and allow us to feel all that is life.

I had some great teachers and am blessed to work with some incredible students.  They too, have become a product of their environment.  Please do not miss the opportunity to experience the BeckRidge Chorale or Village Voices.

Mike

A couple of days ago, a news story REALLY caught my attention.  It seems a fundraiser is being held for one of the Presidential candidates.  If you would like to enjoy dinner and listen to the scheduled speakers, a single ticket will cost you $28,500.  Upon hearing the story, I immediately scrambled for my cell phone to call home.  My enthusiasm was quickly dashed when my first lady indicated she did not think she could set aside $28,500 from grocery and gas money for me to attend.  I told her, I didn’t want to go alone.  She had to come with me.  I do not recall much of the remaining conversation.  Not sure if it was the disappointment in thinking I had found the perfect date night or the numbness in my right ear but one thing was certain, we were NOT going!

I then began thinking about the BeckRidge Chorale and our ticket prices.  Perhaps the $25 ticket price was too low for Musical Feast – Part Deux.  Our event includes dinner but we don’t have speakers. Instead, we serenade the audience with some great French music.  Throughout the year, BeckRidge Chorale members donate more than 10,000 hours of service.  We invest $5,000 in scholarships to high school and college students.  We have supported the work of the Salvation Army, Angela Hospice and the Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute and a number of other worthwhile charities.  Therefore, it seemed, our event should be worthy of a $30,000 ticket price.

I quickly put pencil to paper and determined if we sold the 192 available seats, we would raise just over $5,750,000…before expenses.  (The BeckRidge Chorale jet is getting closer to reality.  What a joy to avoid the Sheldon Road construction and the traffic on Beck and Ridge Roads.)

Despite my best effort, I could not convince the Board of Directors to agree with my suggested ticket price.  They seem to believe no one would pay $30,000 for dinner and a concert.  I allege music has a greater and longer lasting impact than a few speeches.  I wonder if the Board would approve a $29,000 ticket price?      

Summer is nearly over which means the BeckRidge Chorale will soon be back at work. I miss seeing everyone on a weekly basis but the time away is not entirely spent at the practice range or golf course. No, the summer finds me listening to hundreds of new compositions; trying to find just the right songs for the next series of concerts.

Music selection is a responsibility I love when there are great choices and one I loathe when I cannot seem to find anything. I subscribe to three major choral music clubs and rely on the independent publishers to send me samples of their new publications. The listening/selection process works something like this:

Every song gets a rating. A zero rating means I never want to hear it again. Seven, eight and nine’s warrant a second listening. Ten is a definite; we will perform this piece within the next two years. Seems like a straightforward process but the criteria for those ratings include thoughts like:

• What are the lyrics?  Can I relate to the message?  Will the chorale relate?
• Does the song fit a large ensemble?
• Is it sacred, secular, traditional or contemporary?
• Is the piece, educational, inspirational or entertaining?
• Is it too simple?
• Does the piece have educational value? Will the learning process benefit our overall choral sound objectives?
• Is it harmonically interesting?
• Is there instrumentation or is the piece unaccompanied?
• Is it familiar or new?
• Is it slow, ballad style or a knock your socks off rhythmic powerhouse?
• Do we have the talent to accomplish the objectives of the composer and arranger?
• Does it fit with the theme of the concert?
• Will the song touch someone?

For a number of years, we surveyed our audience after every performance asking them to identify their favorite choral selection. Throughout the years, there was never a song someone did not identify as a favorite. Those results told me, we were meeting the objective of our vision: Touching hearts, souls and minds through music.

Next week, the BeckRidge Chorale will leave the comfort of lawn chairs and barbeques and gather to begin the process of celebrating 35 years of making music. After sharing the memories of summer with friends, we join together to shape the vision for our upcoming concert season. Forefront in our minds will be creating music that matches our vision for those individuals, families and businesses who continue to support our organization with their attendance and gifts. At the same time, we look for ways to establish new friendships through the power of song. The BeckRidge Chorale is not an organization simply trying to impress; it is striving to inspire. If you have not experienced the BeckRidge Chorale or Village Voices, make this the year you discover music sung for you and not at you!